Natural History Museum Partnership

Seed Funding 2023-24

Funding is available to support the development of collaborative projects to be undertaken by researchers at the University of Reading and the Natural History Museum (including costs for proof of concept and proposal development, costs of meetings, travel and subsistence, research/clerical assistance etc.). Most requests should be for up to £2,000, but applications for up to £4,000 will be considered for more ambitious, interdisciplinary projects.  

Examples of eligible projects include – but are not limited to – collaborative development of joint grant applications, network development, joint publications, and/or small-scale public engagement events.

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis, with outcomes communicated within two weeks from application in most instances. As part of the budget which supports this funding needs to be spent by 31 July 2024, we encourage and will currently prioritise applications for activities which can be undertaken and financed before that date, but funding will also be available subsequently.

Applications will be evaluated by the partnership’s Operational Delivery Group (ODG), with support from other senior members of staff at either institution if necessary. Projects will be assessed on their relevance to the Partnership’s six priority areas and the potential for beneficial impact in line with the two organisations’ strategic aims.

If awarded funding, it is expected that successful applicants will be prepared to provide a brief report on progress to the Partnership’s Operational Delivery Group if requested. 

 Application forms can be downloaded here.

Please submit the application form to NHM-UoR-partnership@nhm.ac.uk. Any queries can be directed to the same email address.